The efficacy of combining mirror therapy with pneumatic flexible glove training in treating post-stroke hand dysfunction
10.3760/cma.j.cn421666-20241112-00902
- VernacularTitle:镜像疗法联合气动式柔性手套训练对脑卒中后手功能障碍的影响
- Author:
Cuifeng WEN
1
;
Hao HUANG
;
Ru YA
;
Yulong BAI
;
Xiaowen WANG
;
Haoming SONG
Author Information
1. 同济大学医学院，上海 200000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Stroke;
Hand dysfunction;
Near-infrared imaging;
Mirror therapy;
Pneumatic flexible gloves
- From:
Chinese Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
2025;47(10):914-921
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To observe the effectiveness of combining mirror therapy with pneumatic flexible glove training in treating hand dysfunction after a stroke. Its effect on cerebral cortex activation was documented using near-infrared functional imaging of the brain.Methods:A total of 84 stroke survivors with hand dysfunction were randomly divided into a Mirror Group, a Glove Group and a Combined Group, each of 28. In addition to standard rehabilitation training, the Glove Group received 20 minutes of training with a pneumatic soft glove, 5 days per week for 6 consecutive weeks. The Mirror Group received mirror therapy (MT). The Combined Group was given both simultaneously. Before and after the treatment, everyone′s upper limb functioning was evaluated (using the Fugl-Meyer Upper Limb Assessment (FMA-U)), along with their hand motor skills (using the Arm Action Test (ARAT)) and their ability in daily living activities (using the Barthel Index (BI)). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure any changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HBO) concentration at 730nm and 850nm wavelengths.Results:The FMA-U, ATAT and BI scores in both the proximal and distal regions of all three groups showed significant improvement after the treatments compared to pre-treatment levels. The combined group demonstrated significantly better distal FMA-U and ARAT scores after the treatment (12.25±8.80 and 20.93±15.68 respectively), outperforming both the glove and mirror groups. The infrared spectroscopy revealed that bilateral SM1 activation, affected-side somatosensory association cortex (SAC) and supplementary motor cortex excitability in both the mirror and combined groups were significantly better than among the glove group after the experiment.Conclusions:Combined with pneumatic flexible glove training, mirror therapy can not only significantly improve the hand function of stroke survivors, but also activate the relevant brain regions of both hemispheres through bilateral motor patterns combined with multisensory stimulation, promoting the balance between hemispheres.
